


The Prince and the Heir

by Kishirokitsune



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-29 12:43:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 8,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kishirokitsune/pseuds/Kishirokitsune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mini-chapters revolving around the relationship between Dirk and John post-Game, focusing mostly on how the other occupants of the house feel about them being together.</p><p>Basically, all of the Game survivors live together in one house in the new world they’ve created together. (So: John, Jade, Dave, Rose ; Dirk, Roxy, Jane, Jake ; and Karkat, Kanaya, Terezi, and Gamzee.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ======> Follow, the Jealous Knight

Dave was totally and completely _not_ jealous and whoever said otherwise was a huge fucking liar and would get what was coming to them.

So what if John and Dirk were spending a hell of a lot of time together? He had plenty of other people to chill with. Cool people! Like Terezi, who was his perfectly rocking girlfriend; Roxy, who was surprisingly fun for a girl who was Rose’s mom in one timeline; and Jane, who, admittedly, was probably on his list because she was a total sweetheart and made fucking delicious cakes (and other food). And well, he guessed he should include Rose, given how much time he spent with her. And, by extension, Kanaya as well. Karkat ranked somewhere along the bottom of that list, but he was still on there.

Dave narrowed his eyes as Dirk chuckled at one of John’s stupid jokes and stepped close enough that their arms gently brushed as they walked. John didn’t flinch or move away from the touch. To Dave’s surprise, he actually moved a little closer, playfully nudging Dirk and bursting into laughter when the taller teen stumbled. 

Seriously, what the _fuck_ was going on between those two? When did they become so buddy-buddy?

He followed them as stealthily as he good, ducking around corners and diving behind furniture when he was sure he was about to be spotted. He was sure Dirk caught sight of him at one point, but he said nothing and carried on his conversation with John, so maybe he was wrong.

Dave thought he was wrong up until Dirk cast a second glance back and not-so-discreetly wrapped an arm around John’s shoulders in what could be considered a friendly matter if he didn’t then lean down and whisper something in the brunet’s ear.

It took all of Dave’s willpower not to stomp across the room and break the two up.

It took even more strength for him to grit his teeth and walk away.

He paused before he entered the next room, glancing back in time to see a blushing John stand on tiptoes and kiss Dirk on the cheek. Dave’s breath caught in his throat and he tripped over the carpeting, at last catching John’s attention.

“Dave?”

Dave quickly absconded.


	2. ======> Watch, the Curious Knight and Sylph

Humans were quite possibly the strangest creatures Karkat had ever met, but nothing about them puzzled him quite so much as their courtship techniques.

Seriously, what the _fuck_ was John doing? That could not possibly be proper dating procedure. It was far too stupid, even for John.

Karkat stood just outside the doorway of the kitchen and glared at the apron-clad human boy as he laughed softly and flicked flour into the face of the taller human teen named Dirk. He wanted so badly to say something, but his throat felt like it’d been scrubbed raw with sandpaper and even _breathing_ was agonizing, so talking wasn’t exactly something he felt up to at that moment. (Incidentally, his sore throat was what brought him to the kitchen to begin with, as Rose and Kanaya had both advised him to go make a cup of hot tea.)

He nearly groaned out loud when Dirk grabbed a handful of flour and tossed it onto John, sending a cloud of white powder raining down on him. Rather than get angry, as Karkat expected him to, John only laughed harder and gently scolded Dirk for wasting baking materials. (If it could even be called scolding, the way the idiot couldn’t stop grinning up at the taller human.)

Sweet jeegus, Karkat was going to force John sit down and marathon romcoms with him the next chance he got. It was borderline painful just watching the two of them try to flirt.

“Karkat, what are you doing?”

Karkat turned and gestured for Kanaya to be quiet before waving her over to get her opinion on the spectacle unfolding before his eyes. She raised an eyebrow but acquiesced, silently stepping over to his side to take a look at whatever was clearly troubling him so badly that he refused to go into the kitchen. Her painted lips quirked upwards in a sweet smile when she turned her eyes upon the scene of Dirk gently washing the flour from John’s face using a wet washrag.

“And here I thought you’d outgrown your voyeuristic habits,” she murmured teasingly.

Karkat’s cheeks flushed with color and sucked in a breath to make a retort, only to wince at the sharp pain that flared up in his throat. He settled for glaring at her and crossing his arms over his chest. 

Kanaya cocked her head to the side, watching curiously as the two human teens resumed their activity of mixing cookie dough. Every now and then, when he didn’t think John was looking, Dirk would smile fondly at him, only to look away with a slight blush the moment blue eyes turned towards him. John would do much the same, except he could duck his head to hide the ever-present smile on his face.

Karkat had though that maybe Kanaya would be just as puzzled by the two of them as he was, but when he glanced over at her he found not an expression of confusion but one of curiosity mingled with affection. He frowned and gently swatted at her arm to get her attention, raising an eyebrow once she was looking at him. With any luck, she would be able to understand his silent gestures. (Gog damn, he couldn’t wait until his stupid throat stopped hurting so he could talk without feeling like he was being stabbed repeatedly in the esophagus with razor blades.)

“I think they’re rather sweet,” Kanaya said quietly. “They’re much better than they used to be. Although…”

Karkat impatiently tapped his foot on the floor while waiting for her to finish her thought. 

Kanaya’s face took on a more playfully devious expression that made Karkat want to flee. “I wouldn’t use them as an example of what to do when you try to woo Jade.”

Sore throat be damned, Karkat couldn’t stay quiet after that remark. 

“I AM FUCKING NOT!”


	3. ======> Discover, the Startled Page

When Jake walked downstairs in the morning, it was to find that a surprisingly nice blanket fort had sprung up overnight right in front of the television. Anyone else would have figured out that, because of the bright orange and blue bed sheets, it was the handiwork of Dirk and John.

But not Jake.

Curiosity burned in his mind, spurring him forward to see for himself just who built the magnificent fort (and to ask why he wasn’t invited to join in on the fun). Surely the creators of such a thing were still nestled inside. 

Figuring the opening was on the side facing the television, Jake walked around the fort until he found where a sheet rose several inches off of the ground and could be easily pushed aside for entering and exiting without disrupting anything.

He grinned victoriously and dropped to his knees so he could lift the sheet and see inside better. His good cheer took a decidedly swift dip when he found himself looking at his ex-boyfriend curled up affectionately against John, one arm draped over the other boy’s middle in what Jake would have once considered a possessive manner. Jake exhaled sharply when he noted how one of John’s hands was curled loosely into Dirk’s shirt, right over his heart.

It stung a little.

It hurt more than it should have.

Jake backed out of the fort and nearly toppled over. He rested there for a moment, his mind reeling from shock, trying to get a grasp on his conflicting feelings. After a minute or so of thought, he got unsteadily to his feet and set off in search of someone who could help him; preferably Jane, who always seemed to know just what to say.


	4. ======> Confront, the Worried Maid

Jane sighed to herself as she walked through the house in search of John. After a rather tiresome conversation with Jake earlier that morning, the last thing she wanted to do was talk to another hardheaded boy. Unfortunately, what Jake mentioned had been troubling her since the end of their talk and she knew the only way to put her mind at ease was to find her son (or grandpa or whatever he was).

After what felt like hours, she finally found him sitting on the second-lowest of the back steps, staring up at the sky.

“John?” She gently asked to get his attention. “Could we talk?”

He looked down from the sky and gave her a dazzling smile. “Of course! What about?”

Jane breathed in deeply as she took a seat next to him, steeling herself for an uncomfortable conversation. It wasn’t often that the two of them talked and even then it was always silly or fun things like movies or jokes. “About you and Dirk.”

John ducked his head almost shyly. “I, um, I guess we’re pretty obvious, huh? Jade and Rose both teased me about dating him the other day.”

“I think it’s rather sweet,” Jane admitted. “And I’ve certainly never seen Dirk so happy. But…” She hesitated, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. The last thing she wanted to do was stir up drama between the two of them, but there was something John deserved to know about, if he didn’t already. “You know he and Jake dated for a while, right?”

“Yeah, of course. He told me. So did Roxy,” John said with a shrug.

Jane relaxed, both relieved and surprised to hear him say that. 

“It was back around when we were getting used to this world and, well, living together,” John continued. “You know, when he was avoiding being around me and everyone else for more than the few minutes it took to get food. Up until he got caught in that totally sweet prank I was laying for Dave.”

Jane giggled at the memory. “I remember that. You started a war that I don’t think anyone in this house will ever forget. To be honest, if he hadn’t retaliated then I was going to enlist Roxy to get you back for all of those dumb jokes. Dirk sort of beat me to it.”

“Well that was what got us to start talking. Or at least, what got him to finally talk to me for more than two seconds,” John explained. “And once we called a truce, I asked him why he avoided me so long and he told me. Pretty bluntly too. It took me off guard. Guess I was so used to Dave skirting around questions or typing up really strange metaphors that I expected Dirk to do the same.” He laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Turns out we kind of were doing the same thing; me comparing him to Dave and him comparing me to Jake. So yeah.”

“And then the two of you became friends?” Jane asked.

John nodded. “Yeah! It took a while, obviously. We said some pretty dumb things to each other in the beginning and then we’d apologize and try again after not talking for a day or two. And then… I dunno. We started up this movie night and Dirk kept intentionally picking really, really horrible B-rated movies for us to watch and he fell asleep on my shoulder one night and I - oh, it’s really cheesy. Like one of Karkat’s dumb movies.”

Jane shook her head vigorously, wanting to hear more. “No, it’s not! Don’t stop there!”

John blushed darkly, but continued his story. “I, um, well I couldn’t move him. He looked so peaceful. So I just, sort of, wrapped my arm around him so he wouldn’t fall over or anything and then maybe I fell asleep too? It was a really bad movie,” he finished lamely.

“So that’s how you got together!” Jane exclaimed happily.

“Nope,” John replied with a shake of his head. “That’s an even _worse_ story, if you’ll believe that. The whole shoulder sleeping thing was just the start of ‘oh hey, so Dirk’s kind of cute’.”

“You’re pretty fucking cute yourself.”

John and Jane turned at the same time, craning their heads up to see Dirk standing on the top step with a smirk on his face. John hopped to his feet and bounded up the few steps in order to properly greet his boyfriend with a tight hug. Jane stood up in a more reserved manner and offered up a smile in ‘hello’.

“Not trying to steal him away, are you?” Dirk asked with a teasing quality to his voice, lips still curved upwards to show he wasn’t at all serious.

Jane laughed in response. “Don’t be silly, Dirk! We were just having a lovely mother-son chat is all. Have to make sure you aren’t doing anything untoward to my poor baby.”

John groaned and muttered a despairing “Not you too!” and something that sounded suspiciously like Rose’s name. 

Dirk, on the other hand, chuckled before assuring Jane that he was being the utmost gentleman and that he was just about to accompany John on a lovely stroll though the backyard where they would, at most, hold hands.

“Well then, I’ll leave you to it,” Jane promised as she ambled up the stairs past them. She paused at the top, her smile fading as her brows furrowed. There was one last thing she needed to at least attempt to settle. “Dirk. You _need_ to talk to Jake. Maybe not today, but soon.”

Dirk nodded stiffly and directly John down the steps.

Jane let the topic go. She’d said what she needed to. It was up to them now


	5. ======> Advise, the Frustrated Seers

The fact that she had to step in and mend whatever rift had developed between John and Dave when she wasn’t monitoring them was enough to make Rose want to take up drinking again. Months ago when she first noticed the two weren’t talking, Kanaya had told her to just let them be, that they could fix it on their own, but as weeks dragged on into months, Rose was beginning to doubt that they would.

Fortunately, she had at least one ally in her quest. Terezi was just as sick as Rose was of Dave’s mumbling and had volunteered her services the second she heard what Rose was going to do. 

Knowing that sending Terezi to talk to John would only end in disaster, she sent the justice-seeking troll off in Dave’s direction before setting off to find John herself. It wasn’t until she was actively looking for him that she realized it was surprisingly difficult to locate him.

“Dirk?” Rose questioned when she found the other Strider lounging in the living room with Jade. “Have either of you seen John this afternoon? There’s something I’d like to speak with him about, but I haven’t been able to find him anywhere.”

“He’s usually out back cloud watching at this time of the day,” Jade spoke up.

Rose nodded her thanks and then set off for the backyard, hoping that he hadn’t drifted off elsewhere.

\------

The first thing Terezi did upon finding Dave was to park her caboose in his lap and wrap her arms around his neck, successfully obstructing his view of the television and simultaneously preventing him from getting up and leaving. It earned her an annoyed look, which only made her grin and deem the first part of her mission a victory. She cackled gleefully and licked his cheek, taking full enjoyment of Dave’s skyrocketing aggravation.

“Terezi what are you doin’?” Dave asked, giving in and pausing the really shitty game he’d been playing.

“Getting your attention,” Terezi replied impishly. “I have a matter of injustice to discuss with you!”

Dave prayed it had nothing to do with the fact that he had maliciously kicked Terezi’s yellow scalemate down the hall the other day. He’d been half asleep and they were as brightly colored as the smuppets Bro used to make. Naturally his first reaction had been to kick the thing as hard as he could.

“It’s not about Lemonsnout, though I know all about what you did to him. Don’t worry, your punishment over that indiscretion will come soon enough,” Terezi told him with a toothy grin. “This is an entirely different matter. One involving one of your fellow human beings.”

Dave took a moment to try and figure out what she was talking about. It couldn’t be that he’d teased Roxy about her writing the other week, since she’d quickly and effortlessly gotten her revenge not long afterwards. Nor could it be that he’d snuck an extra piece of cake when he thought Jane wasn’t looking. (She knew, of course, and had got him with a cream pie to the face as he tried to exit the kitchen.) And there was nothing he could do that could slip past the notice of Rose or Jade for very long. 

Terezi lightly flicked Dave’s ear. “I’m talking about _John_ , dummy.”

Dave’s entire body tensed. “I haven’t done anything thing to Egbert.”

“In this case, that’s entirely the problem.” Terezi huffed loudly and unwound her arms from Dave’s neck so she could carefully remove the aviator’s from his face. “Dave, look at me,” she demanded when he refused to meet her eyes. “ _Dave_.” Her grin was gone, a fierce scowl in it’s place. “You know, for two people who claim to be best friends, you two spend a lot of time avoiding one another.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Dave muttered.

“Why?” Terezi demanded. “Before practically all you could talk about was meeting up with everyone and giving John the greatest brohug in all of creation and that the sheer overwhelming power of your brolationship would vanquish Lord English and all the other evil and then you’d go live happily ever after together. Or did Karkat just imagine you saying all of that?”

“Pretty fucking sure Karkat completely made all of that up,” Dave replied, rolling his eyes. “Does that really sound like something I’d ever say? Jeez, Rez. And you call yourself my girlfriend. First rule of being my girlfriend is that you understand that everything he says about me is complete and utter bullshit.”

“Yeah, well, the first rule of being my matesprite is that you’re not allowed to ignore your best friend for stupid reasons,” Terezi retorted.

“Since fuckin’ when?”

“Since forever. And you know how much I hate it when rules are broken…” Terezi trailed off, hoping he’d take a hint and go talk to John without her having to force him.

Dave stared at her for a moment and then sighed heavily. “Fine. I’ll go talk to him. But first I’m going to finish this game.”

Terezi happily gave him a kiss on the cheek and returned his shades, knowing he wouldn’t dare back down after telling her he would do it.

\------

Rose quietly sat down next to John in the grass and waited for him to take his eyes off the sky and flash his usual bright smile at her. She only had to wait a few minutes before he sat up and did exactly that.

“What’s up, Rose? You’re not going to tease me about dating Dirk again, are you?” He asked.

“Nothing like that,” Rose assured him. “I wish to speak with you about a different Strider.”

“Dave? What about him?”

Rose tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and the thought of getting it cut soon flitted briefly through her mind. “I couldn’t help but notice that the two of you haven’t talked much since we arrived in this world. And since I cannot recall you having a fight, I’m curious as to why this wall of non-communication has been erected between you.”

“I--”

“Furthermore,” Rose continued, pretending as though she hadn’t heard John about to speak. “Everyone is under the impression that the two of you are avoiding one another and thus putting off solving whatever problem has arisen.”

John frowned. “I’m not avoiding him.”

Rose raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not!” John said more forcefully. “If anybody’s avoiding anybody, then it’s him who’s avoiding me! I tried, Rose. I did! Back when we first got here and everyone was all excited about making it to the new world together. I tried every day to find Dave so we could hang out, but he was always with Terezi or Karkat or you or even Jade, so I left him alone. I wasn’t gonna barge in and make him choose between hanging out with you guys and spending the day with me. I figured I’d wait until things calmed down and then we’d go back to being best friends and making dumb jokes and talking about movies and stuff!” He paused to catch his breath and calm himself.

Rose took advantage of his silence to take back control of the conversation before it could turn into John ranting about Dave. “But that didn’t happen, did it? Which was when you began playing idiotic but amusing pranks on everyone?”

John nodded, his anger deflating slightly. “Yeah.”

“And shortly after, you began spending time with Dirk, correct?” Rose questioned.

John confirmed with another nod.

Rose was silent for a moment, wondering how to best word what she wanted to say. No matter how she said it, she suspected John wouldn’t be happy to hear it. Still, something told her it would be better if he found out sooner rather than later.

“Dave was the first to notice. He and I were talking when you walked past, talking Dirk’s ear off about some movie, and he stopped mid-speech. Naturally, I thought there was some great catastrophe going on behind me since nothing less could get Dave to stop talking like that.”

“I don’t see how me and Dirk getting along is such a big deal,” John muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I didn’t either at first,” Rose reluctantly admitted. “But after thinking about it, I don’t see how I could have missed something so obvious. I’m a little ashamed.”  
John furrowed his brow, looking puzzled. “What, is he jealous or something? Because if he is, then that’s really dumb. He’s still my best friend. I’m not trying to replace him with Dirk or anything like that!”

Rose’s expression was grim. “I imagine there’s a little more to it than that. If you were spending time with anyone else, I daresay it wouldn’t bother him nearly as badly. He’s never batted an eyelash any of those times we’ve heard you and Karkat bicker. I believe he finds it amusing. Pestering Karkat was one of his favorite pastimes on the meteor…” She paused and cleared her throat. She’s gotten a tad bit off subject. “John, you _need_ to talk to Dave. I understand that you don’t want to intrude when he’s talking to someone else, but I can honestly tell you that none of us would mind. Most of us would encourage it.”

“Yeah… Okay, Rose. I’ll try.”


	6. ======> Mend, the Anxious Heir

Dave, John decided, was the biggest dummy in the entire house, which was quite the accomplishment. And why was it that the second he gathered his courage to go talk to his friend, he couldn't find him anywhere? How was it so easy to lose people in that house? It was big, but it wasn't _that_ big.

After searching the rest of the house (and having to give in and ask Terezi, who didn't give him the runaround for once), he made his way up the stairs that led to the roof. His heart pounded in his ears as he tried to recall everything he wanted to say to his friend. He'd spend several hours rehearsing different ways to start up a conversation (much to Dirk's amusment) and had forgotten which one he picked during his hunt through the house.

It was too late to turn back.

Besides, he wasn't sure he wanted to have a second talk with Rose

The door creaked open and he blinked his eyes against the sunlight. Once they adjusted to the change in light, he could see Dave leaning forward, his arms resting on the short wall (which was probably meant to prevent anyone from falling off the roof), staring out at the rolling hills and bountiful nature which surrounded their new home.

Dave didn't so much as twitch when he walked over and stood next to him. John shuffled his feet anxiously and jammed his hands in his pocket. He stared at the ground until he gathered his nerve to glance over and offer a hesitant smile.

"H-hey."

"Sup." Dave responded with a nod.

John wasn't sure if it was a question or just the other boy's standard greeting. Deciding to treat it as the former, he shrugged. "Not much. Been looking for you for a while."

Dave raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

' _Why_ _ **now**_ _?'_ He meant. The unspoken question lingered in the air between them.

Words failed John. He dropped his gaze back to the ground and lightly kicked the wall with his socked toes. He was starting to regret listening to Rose. The strained silence was too much for him to handle - maybe he should turn around and leave before he said or did anything he'd regret.

"Are we still friends?"

So much for leaving. John silently cursed at himself for being such a dumbass and opening his big fat mouth.

Still, his words got Dave to finally turn his head and look at him. His aviators made his impossible to tell what sort of expression he was making, as John discovered when he hazarded a look up.

Dave made a sort of scoffing sound. "Fucking hell, Egbert."

John braced himself for the worst.

"Of course we're still friends. The fact that you have the worse damn taste in romantic partners isn't going to change that," Dave told him with a straight face. "Now stop looking like I went and punted a puppy off the roof and sent it spiraling into the setting sun, howling sadly as it flies through the air."

"That's horrible, Dave!" John said, unable to keep himself from smiling. His friend wasn't angry at him! If there was one thing he knew, it was that Dave didn't joke around like that when he was mad.

Dave smirked. "Yeah, so, we need to have a feelings jam or a strife or anything? Usually I just let Karkat scream himself hoarse, but I get the feeling that won't work with you."

"Well…" John paused briefly, unsure of how much Dave was willing to put up with at the moment. "I bought a new movie the other day and no one else will watch it with me. Not even Jade! And she _always_ watches movies with me!"

Dave groaned. "I'm going to fucking regret this, but sure. Let's go watch whatever disaster of a movie you've found. It involves Nic Cage, doesn't it? Of course it does… Your homocrush on the man is disturbing to the highest degree. Actually, I've changed my mind. I don't want to watch it anymore."

"Too late!" John said with a laugh. "You already agreed! And believe it or not, he's not in this one."

"Huh. Maybe Gamzee's right…"

"About what?"

Dave smirked. "Miracles really do happen."


	7. ======> Comfort, the Tired Rogue

Roxy bounced through the house, happily humming an upbeat tune and giggling to herself. It was a beautiful spring day, which the majority of her housemates were taking advantage of. Rose and Kanaya had organized a group outing into town earlier that morning and took with them Jade, Dave, Terezi, Jane, and Karkat, which meant things around the house were quiet to the point of being dull rather than relaxing. Dirk, who'd discovered his fear of crowds rather early in his relationship with John, had declined going on the outing and spent the afternoon playing childish games in the garden with his boyfriend. Even Gamzee appeared to be enjoying the pleasant weather, as he hadn't moved from his chair in front of the open kitchen window except to fetch a freshly baked pie from the oven.

Naturally, there was no way all twelve of them could possibly be happy on the same day and there was one member of the household who was in an abnormally dismal mood.

Roxy sighed when she found him in the library, curled up in one of the corners away from the window, staring at the cover of a large book. The sight of his forlorn face was enough to drive the joy from her in one breath.

And that just wouldn't do.

She marched over to him and removed the book from his hands and dropped it to the floor before plunking herself down in the brunet's lap. He yelped in surprise, automatically lifting his arms out of her way.

"So, why are you moping this time, Jakey?" Roxy asked, trying to draw on her previous good cheer in hopes of lifting his spirits at least a little. Appealing to his love of firearms would probably work too. Hopefully. "It's such a pretty day out. We could be out in the side yard firing off guns and whatnot!"

Her words had little effect on him. Jake made a shrugging motion with his shoulders and looked away. "I'm afraid I don't feel up to any shenanigans today, Roxy. I'm sure Jane would be delighted to accompany you. Why don't you go ask her instead?"

Roxy pouted and slung her arms around his neck. There was no way she was going to fail in her mission. She would get a laugh and a smile out of him and then they could go off and have a grand adventure, just the two of them!

"She ran off to go to town with the others. Can you believe it? And Dirk's being all cute in the garden with John, so who else am I supposed to hang out with? Besides, we haven't had a proper best friend day in _ages_."

"We've never had a friend day."

" _Exactly,_ " Roxy replied, bopping him on the nose with one finger, making a 'boop' noise as she did so.

Jake's lips quirked upwards into a brief smile, which he quickly masked. "Roxy, I appreciate the fact that you want to spend time with me, but I'm afraid I'm really not up for such things today."

"Jake English, you cannot be seriously telling me that you would rather sit here in the darkest corner of our library, staring at the cover of a book, than go outside with me and shoot guns and do dangerous stunts just because we can." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down. When all he did was look away from her, she sighed heavily again. "Jake, honey, look at me. Please? What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

"It's _not_ nothing. It's most definitely _something_. You can either tell me what it is or I'll start guessing," she warned.

Jake knew better than to make her do that. Besides that, Roxy was probably the one person in the house who would understand what he was going through. Why he didn't think of going to her first (instead of Jane) was a mystery.

"I think I'm a little jealous…"

"Jealous?" Roxy repeated, blinking her eyes in surprise. "Of who?"

"That's just it. I don't know," Jake replied, sounding utterly miserable. "I think that, maybe, it's more that I imagined things would be different once we got here. I always thought it'd be you and me and Dirk and Jane all hanging out and having adventures together, but it's not. Don't get me wrong, it's truly a wonderful experience to be able to spend time with Jade and the trolls are certainly interesting people to get to know, but…"

"It's not the same," Roxy filled in. "You know, just because the four of us haven't spending time together, it doesn't mean we can't _start_ to." She paused a moment to come up with an activity they could do together. If guns had no appeal for her friend that day, there was no use trying that again. "So whaddya say, Jakey? Do you wanna sit here all by your lonesome or do you want to go fill up one-hundred water balloons and carry them up to the roof and throw them at Dirk and John with me? I still haven't gotten my revenge for that prank they pulled on me yesterday, and personally I think the best way to get them back for that is to ruin their lovely backyard date."

Jake cracked a grin. "I might have a better idea."

.

* * *

.

Karkat stared at the backyard in horror while Jade giggled beside him. Everywhere he looked, plants and grass and rocks were covered in brightly colored goo and little bits of plastic. It looked like a massacre had taken place in the few hours they were gone!

"I'm almost afraid to go in the house. Who knows what horrors await us there," Jane joked as she joined them.

"What the fuck happened?" Karkat managed to ask when he recovered.

"Roxy must've gotten back at John and Dirk," Jane said, shrugging. "They set up a bucket of apple juice above the bathroom door the other night and she walked right into it. I told her to keep her revenge out of the house. Cleaning up after them is such a pain." She sighed and began walking to the back door. "I hope they had enough sense not to trail paint into the house this time…"

.

* * *

End chapter


	8. ======> Plan, the Gleeful Witch

Jade happily hummed as she bustled about the kitchen early one morning, sliced bread and condiments spread out across the kitchen table as she hopped between plates to make as many sandwiches as she possibly could. Karkat watched her with an air of frustration about him, as if he couldn't believe she could be so perky so early in the morning.

"This is a stupid idea," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Your opinion," Jade chirped back. She wasn't at all put off by his sour mood. In fact, she'd come to find that it was just part of his charm and that it was mostly just bluster anyway. "What kind do you want? Do you want the crust cut off?"

Karkat instantly bristled. "Do I look like some grub that throws a fit if there's a bit of crust on the damn sandwich? Fuck no." He paused and quickly added. "But if you really insist on it, then go ahead. Do whatever. I don't care. And I want one of those peanut butter ones."

Jade tried her best not to giggle as she carefully cut the crust from two of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches she'd already made, setting them aside near a bag labeled "Karkat". She resumed humming as she moved onto the next.

After watching her for another minute or two, Karkat huffed loudly and joined her at the counter to help her finish making food and packing it up. "Why the sudden urge to have a picnic, anyway?" He asked, accepting a sandwich with m&ms pressed into the bread.

Jade shrugged, her humming ceasing. "I just want one good day where we're all together, having fun. No problems, no worries, no fighting. This might be the last time we can do it... so I'm going to make it the best picnic in the history of the universe!"

"Last time?" Karkat asked with a frown. "Why would it be the last time?"

Jade was silent for a moment. "I've been thinking a lot lately. About the future. My future. _Our_ future. And I realized that we can't sit around here forever just doing the same old thing day in and day out. Eventually we're going to get tired of it. Tired of each other." She started to cut a sandwich down the middle, but stopped and set the knife to the side. Staring at the counter, she continued talking. "I've been looking into colleges lately. There are a couple nearby that I'm interested in. And I know Kanaya has been looking into local jobs. Rose said she has an interview next week."

"Shit," Karkat muttered. "I didn't know she was so serious about that. I would've supported her better if I'd known."

"Don't go blaming yourself," Jade said, still not looking up. "I'm not even supposed to know about it. Rose told me in confidence, but I... I couldn't just keep it to myself anymore. I'm so tired of secrets and people not talking to one another."

"So... what? Today a picnic and games and happiness and tomorrow we blab that we're running off to college because we're sick of looking at their stupid, ugly faces?"

"That's a horrible way of putting it," Jade responded, cracking a brief grin until Karkat's words caught up with her. She whipped her head around to look up at him. "Wait, what? _We_?"

Karkat raised an eyebrow. "You're not the only one thinking about the future, you know. I think it's been on everyone's minds lately, especially since that last outing. It's like everyone's suddenly realized that we've been sitting around this house for four of your human months, doing next to nothing to understand this new world we've been unmercifully dumped into by that damn game. They'll be less surprised by this than you think."

"Maybe." Jade got back to work on the food, feeling a little better thanks to the lack of freakout on Karkat's part. For a moment she preoccupied her thoughts of running off to university with Karkat by her side – which made her feel surprisingly better about her plans. It would be nice to have someone familiar with her in such a strange new world.

"Hey, fucking pay attention to where you're waving that thing!"

Jade grinned and flicked a spoonful of grape jelly onto Karkat's face, laughing merrily at the angry screeching that followed.

.

* * *

End chapter

* * *

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blegh, I feel like I've gotten way off track these past few chapters. I haven't had any DirkJohn moments lately, which was the whole reason I started writing this! So in order to get back on track, I'm going rearrange the next few chapters. (All I'm really doing is taking the original next chapter and moving it to second-last.)


	9. ======> Strife, the Determined Knight

It didn't bother Dave that Dirk was gay. It didn't even bother him that John, despite his claims to the contrary, was also gay. And really, he had no problem with the two of them dating one another. What _did_ bother him was the fact that every time he looked at Dirk, he was immediately reminded of Bro.

It was disconcerting, to say the least.

Dave knew the truth, as did everyone else – that Dirk was Bro and Bro was Dirk. But at the same time they were entirely different people. The vast differences between them served as proof of that, which only made the similarities all the more jarring. More than once Dave had walked into the living room to find Dirk sitting on the couch with a needle and thread, repairing clothing for someone.

At Rose's advice, he'd tried to get to know Dirk a little better. He attempted pleasant conversations over breakfast, prodded along by Jane and Roxy. Terezi dragged him to a movie night with Dirk and John, but with all the attention on the TV screen there wasn't much socializing to be had. John had suggested video games one day, but one look at Dirk playing the glitchy-as-all-hell Doritos game almost brought a tear or two to his eyes and he had to excuse himself to go play music for the next three hours.

Others had tried as well. Clearly Rose had been working her magic on the whole group, determined to mend what never existed between them to begin with. There was nothing to fix. There was only something to build – slowly, delicately.

Dave knew exactly where to start. He'd known from the beginning, but with everyone else intervening he had to keep pushing back his own plans. Some things took planning. Even simple things.

* * *

It began with a simple message.

turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering timaeusTestified [TT]

TG: you

TG: me

TG: strife on the roof

TT: I accept your challenge.

turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering timaeusTestified [TT]

* * *

If anyone found it weird that the roof of the house was flat with a slightly raised wall, Dave didn't care. In fact, he couldn't be more pleased by it. It was like having his own little piece of home. Not to mention it was the perfect space for strifes, as he'd proven to Karkat on multiple occasions.

Dave stood to one side of the roof. Facing the door. Waiting. Broken sword in hand.

He wanted Dirk to see him coming. To give him a chance to defend himself before the true onslaught could begin. It was only fair.

A few minutes passed and at last the door opened. Sunlight glinted across Dirk's pointed shades as he stepped outside, katana clutched in one hand.

Dave shifted his stance and then darted forward, giving Dirk just enough time to react – testing him.

Their swords clanged together, the sound echoing in the distance, and then they sprang apart.

Dave smirked and saw Dirk do the same. And then their fight truly began. At last they'd found their common ground.


	10. ======> Cuddle, the Happy Prince

Dirk knew he could come across as too clingy when he found someone he liked. It was one of many reasons why he and Jake hadn't worked out. Fortunately for him, it didn't appear that John found a problem with it.

A gentle breeze ruffling his hair was all the warning he received before he found himself with a lapful of grinning brunet. Dirk chuckled and wrapped his arms around John's waist, relishing the feel of a warm body on top of his own.

"Having fun abusing your god powers, I see," Dirk remarked in an amused tone.

"Yeah," John replied, leaning forward to kiss his boyfriend on the lips. "Hey, uh, if Jane tries to kill me, you'll protect me, right?"

Dirk raised an eyebrow. "Against Jane? Sorry, but you're on your own."

"Chicken," John accused, still grinning as he kissed Dirk again. He slid his arms around the blond's neck, moving a little closer so there was barely any space left between their chests. The two continued sharing chaste kisses until someone loudly cleared their throat behind them.

"Is this movie night or mack-on-your-boyfriend night?" Dave asked, sounding as though he was having a hard time keeping annoyance from slipping into his voice.

"I like the sound of that," Terezi said as she yanked Dave down in order to plant a loud, wet kiss on his cheek.

John and Dirk laughed at the repulsed expression on Dave's face. Terezi smirked, very pleased with herself, and pulled him along with her to sit on the couch. John re-situated himself in Dirk's lap, removing his arms and turning around so his back was pressed comfortably to the blond's chest. He sighed happily when Dirk placed a lingering kiss on his neck while Dave was preoccupied with keeping Terezi from doing anything too inappropriate.

It wasn't long before they were joined by Rose and Kanaya, who were more than happy to squeeze onto the space in the middle of the couch.

And so began (couples) movie night.


	11. ======> Bake, the Lonely Bard

No one was surprised more than Gamzee that the others allowed him to live in the house. It was all too clear that they were uncomfortable with the fact, but no one made any move to send him away. So instead they avoided him as much as they possibly could, only holding small conversations in the kitchen which largely pertained to food.

Baking became his escape not long after they settled in. He found it relaxing; following simple instructions to make delicious pies was the best way to keep his mind clear. And the more he baked, the more the others began to lighten up around him.

Despite that, there was only one person who was actually willing to sit and talk with him for longer than a few minutes.

Jane stepped into the kitchen and smiled sweetly at him. "Good morning, Gamzee."

"And a motherfucking good morning to you, pretty little sister," Gamzee replied in a slow drawl.

Jane winced slightly at his phrasing, but was otherwise not bothered by the unusual troll. She pulled down her powder blue apron from the peg on the wall and slipped it on. "I was thinking about making cinnamon rolls for everyone this morning. Would you like to help?"

Taken aback by someone inviting him to join in on an activity, Gamzee slowly nodded in agreement.

Things really were starting to get better. Even for someone like him.


	12. =======> Return, the Unexpected Heroes

=======> Return, the Unexpected Heroes

John had been planning something special for what felt like weeks and at last things were falling perfectly into place. It was a nice, clear day and he and Dirk had the house all to themselves for once. Kanaya was away at a job interview – John didn’t know the details, but she seemed excited by it so he was happy for her. Rose had elected to join Jake and Roxy at the library, where they were looking into the history and geography of their new world. Karkat and Jade had taken off for the day to check out the university they were both interested in. Jane, to everyone’s surprise, had signed herself and Gamzee up for cooking classes and the two were attending their first lesson. Dave, after much begging and pleading on John’s behalf, had whisked Terezi away for a day of fun.

John was giddy with excitement. Even after he’d gotten everyone else out of the house, things continued to go perfectly. He hadn’t burned any of the food or broken any of the candles. (Or set the tablecloth on fire after lighting said candles.) Dirk hadn’t wandered downstairs while he was in the middle of preparing, ruining the surprise.

And most importantly, no one had arrived home ahead of schedule.

Maybe it wasn’t a romantic _dinner_ like he’d wanted, but they could at least have a romantic lunch. That had to count for something.

He hummed happily to himself as he turned down the oven, using it to keep the food warm while he went to fetch Dirk.

At least, that was the plan.

Then the doorbell rang.

John stopped humming and his smile faded away. He could feel his surprise romantic lunch slipping away and there was nothing he could do about it. He heard a thump from upstairs which was undoubtedly Dirk jumping down from his high workbench where he was working on some super secret project for Roxy. John hurried out of the kitchen and to the foot of the stairs in the next room, so he could yell up the stairs that he was getting the door. Without waiting to hear a response, he moved on to the hallway leading to the front door. He sighed heavily before pulling the door, scowling at the two people on the other side.

Or rather, the two rather familiar trolls standing on the porch.

Two trolls who he was pretty sure were _supposed_ to be dead.

His annoyed expression morphed to one of confusion as he tried to remember what their names were. They’d been there at the final battle – that much he could remember. But then the pair had vanished and no one had heard so much as a peep from them. Karkat spent two weeks longer than anyone else trying to contact them using Pesterchum and Trollian to no avail.

“John? Who’s at the door?” Dirk asked, walking up behind his boyfriend. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of the two trolls, no doubt realizing the same thing John did. “Aradia and Sollux, right?”

Ah-ha! Leave it to his super smart boyfriend to remember when he couldn’t.

Aradia nodded, a small smile on her face. “That’s right. We were in the area, so we decided to stop by.”

John tried his best not to groan in frustration. He bid one final farewell to his romantic date and stepped aside to let the two in the house. After all, he couldn’t very well turn them away after they’d traveled so far.

Besides, Karkat’s reaction at seeing the two once he got home was bound to be hilarious and just might make up for his suffering.


End file.
